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Gene Frenette: Maurice Jones-Drew walking fine line on holdout

My guess is it'll be at least another two weeks before Maurice Jones-Drew allows his stubborn streak to diminish enough to rejoin the Jaguars. But as intriguing as when the franchise back decides to end his holdout, the more interesting scenario is whether coach Mike Mularkey will make him pay the full amount of the fine for his absence.

At $30,000 per missed training camp day, plus $60,000 for skipping June's mandatory minicamp, Jones-Drew is already up to $570,000 in lost wages. If he reports on Aug. 26, four days before the last preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons, the meter will hit $1 million.

Remember, Mularkey has never met Jones-Drew in person, so he's less likely to acquiesce to the back's financial demands or forgive the fine than Jack Del Rio. Plus, owner Shad Khan and general manager Gene Smith have publicly drawn lines in the sand about Jones-Drew not honoring his contract.

Unless the Jaguars cave, which would be embarrassing at this point, we're going to see how much resolve Jones-Drew has about his salary. No matter what happens, somebody figures to be paying a big number. ...

It's only a snapshot, but the 89-yard touchdown drive led by Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert to open Friday night's preseason game against the New York Giants was easily the most impressive series of his career. Gabbert had the kind of command of the offense this team needs from him. ...

Memo to all national media outlets: two NFL teams based in Florida are taking advantage of the league's option to lower the television blackout number from selling 100 percent of their non-premium seats to 85 percent. Surprise, it's not the Jaguars. ...

Looking at the mea culpa on ESPN by ex-Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino, two words come to mind: Bill Clinton. You're not sure if he's sorry for what he did or just regrets getting caught. ...

With LSU cornerback Tyrann "Honey Badger"Mathieu joining Florida State's Greg Reid on the list of dismissed star players, the question is this: how many times will NFL teams use the term "failed drug test" when doing background checks on them? ...

Here's a solution for Olympic athletes raising their eyebrows whenever someone like Usain Bolt has an impressive time: applaud them until they test positive for something illegal. ...

It's hard to blame the Los Angeles Lakers, the New York Yankees of the NBA, for taking a swing at a championship by acquiring Dwight Howard in a four-team trade. On paper, the Lakers should be a title contender, but my feeling is pairing a diva center with the aging Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash winds up being a flawed chemistry experiment. ...

You hear that dead silence? It's all the phones at the Orlando Magic ticket office.